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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Whipped Ganache Frosting

A really strange thing happened to me this week. If you know me well, you will know how totally out of character this is for me.

I wanted chocolate cake.

Well, 'wanted' seems like a mild word for what I felt. I longed for chocolate cake. So weird! Can you believe it?

Most of my cravings revolve around citrus or spice. Very, very, VERY rarely do I actually crave chocolate cake. Okay I'll stop now before you totally write me off as a lunatic.

In order to satisfy that craving, I made these.

Aren't they pretty?

Look at this one standing high & proud on his high chocolate tower! :)

The cupcake recipe isn't a new one. I have shared it with you before in my Rocky Road Cupcakes post. It is Alton Brown's Chocolate cake recipe that I made into cupcakes. It is a dense, moist cupcake. This time around I made it extra moist by under-baking it a little and it was really delicious!

The frosting is a whipped ganache - which is the easiest thing to make, and SO yummy! And it goes without saying - the better the quality of the chocolate you use, the better your frosting will taste.

Method
1. Chop up the chocolate and place in a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer. Be careful not to let it boil or it will split.
3. Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate. Allow this to sit for about 2 minutes.
4. Whisk until smooth, and add in the vanilla. Whisk until dissolved. Set aside to 'set' for about an hour or two. I put it into the fridge for about 15 minutes before I whipped it.
5. Beat using an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes until you achieve a piping consistency.

This frosting is absolutely delicious and very versatile. I used the same recipe with milk chocolate for some cupcakes I baked this week for a friend, and it tasted great!

I must report that with the craving completely satisfied, the strange chocolate phase has passed. Right after I hit 'Publish', I am headed to the kitchen to make a batch of lime curd to have with breakfast.

Now that feels normal!

In other news, next weekend I am teaching an 'Introduction to Baking' class in partnership with Chennai Food Guide and Crimson Chakra. Registrations have closed for this batch, and I am really looking forward to meeting all the participants who have registered! Before you come I must say: a word to the wise - baking is addictive!!! And I cannot wait to pass the baking bug on to you! I'll see you all at Crimson Chakra on the 24th of March.

Also - a BIG thank you to the lovely Pratiksha from Honeyed Pandemonium for the Leibster award! I really appreciate it :) Hugs to you!

I get it! Sometime a girl wants what a girl wants. These are some wicked delish cupcakes though! And gosh I adore Alton Brown so very cool how you tweaked his recipe to make it better. You are a girl after my own heart with the chocolate ganache frosting....none of that sugar-butter stuff for me - thank you very much! :))

Wow, do these look amazing! I always have chocolate cravings and love ganache icing, you have done a wonderful job - love your cupcake papers, did you use double or how did you get them to not look greasy!

Thank you Erin! I almost named them Intense chocolate cupcakes because the insides were so moist and it was sooooo chocolatey because I intentionally underbaked the cupcakes.... Wish I could send you some! Thanks for stopping by!

your blog always leaves me craving something! now it's chocolate. I have been silently reading your blog for a while now and I love it! Beautiful, real food that's obviously made with love and care. Your photographs are very pretty too. I'm a big fan!!! Do you have a cookbook coming out anytime?

Marsha, I am convinced that your whipped ganache frosting is the BEST I can imagine to use for piping on cupcakes, next to the white chocolate whipped frosting, which is done with the same method. Congratulations on your teaching course, so nice of you to share your knowledge:DDDHugs,

OMG, Marsha, those are some seriously gorgeous chocolate cupcakes. The photos are spectacular! That said, they never said anything about my giveaway being available to people only in the US or Canada, so there ;)

Marsha, I'm sooooo glad you had a chocolate craving! I misplaced my favorite chocolate ganche frosting recipe and yours magically appeared in my "in box" the day I was going to make it! (Gotta love that e-mail subscription service!)

These little beauties look DIVINE and your ganache was "el perfecto" on the cake I made, too. Thanks!

I am so glad I did too... I just saw your cake and it is a thing of beauty! Looks absolutely delicious & inviting... Thanks for stopping by and letting me know how it turned out! :) Hugs to you, Kimby!

I should not be allowed near ganache. I can eat it by the spoonfu :-)l. That being said, you cupcakes look fabulous and the icing takes them over the top. These sound very very good. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Hi marsha, I totally enjoyed the eggless baking workshop at Crimson chakra. This recipe was totally loved by all at home, esp with my using the left over chocolate syrup for moistening the cup cake before applying the frosting. Can you do a workshop for cake decoration? would love it.

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About Me

I am a part-time work-from-home, full-time wife, mother & foodie... I am quite obsessive when it comes to food and all things food-related.
For me, there is nothing like the satisfaction of producing a perfect dish & having your loved ones devour it!